Friday, September 11, 2009

Image by Joseph Hoetzl via Flickr

Today the news was filled with 9/11 remembrances. It is definitely a somber occasion that is pretty much etched permanently in every one's mind. Although I know we should never forget, somehow bringing it up year after year seems to be akin to picking at a scab. Keep doing it and it will never heal.

What struck me in the news was how many of our fellow Americans, who are Muslim, dread today. The overall sense I got was that they felt safe staying home and keeping their families close. Many stated the fear that if another terrorist attack happens they would be rounded up and put in internment camps like the Americans of Japanese decent during World War II. How sad is that?

Have you noticed the news regarding Guantanamo has lessened over the past few weeks? Although they are not Americans, I still see Guantanamo as a mark of shame on our country. How could we allow our government to seize people from their country and inter them without due process? How could we allow our government to withhold trials, counsel, and the knowledge of what crimes they committed?

This is not the America I grew up in. The America I grew up in held the rights of the citizen above all else. Everyone had the right to know why they were being held. Our laws require that we are either charged or released within 48 hours of an arrest. Since when did we suspend Habeus Corpus or Miranda? If the government can do this now, what can they do in the future to our rights?

Freedom comes at a cost. We all know that. Sometimes the cost is in the sacrifice of military lives. Sometimes, it is in the cost of the lives of the innocent. These are horrible prices to pay, but what would America be if we simply eliminated the rights we take for granted. Benjamin Franklin wrote that those who wanted to give up their freedom for the sake of security should and would have neither. What does taking and withholding basic rights from those held at Guantanamo say about America? Are we truly any safer?

The sacrificing of our basic rights and liberties at the sake of security is not a fair trade. Although I do not agree with conservative Christians regarding their faith, or with gun holders, I can respect their right to worship or own guns. Although I'm not Muslim, I do believe they have the right to worship and live in peace in this country. To take away the basic rights of any group, as given under our constitution, is an invitation to an Orwellian society where big brother knows best.

So, today, as we remember the horrifying events and the tragedy of the lives that were lost, let us not forget. This is the day that Americans lost something even more precious. We lost our innocent ideological surety that our government would never suspend or do anything contrary what is written and guaranteed in our constitution.